


Postcards from the Edge of Space and Time

by natmerc



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Mother-Daughter Relationship, POV Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-28
Updated: 2010-12-28
Packaged: 2017-10-14 04:31:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/145394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natmerc/pseuds/natmerc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rose said she'd call.  She also sent postcards.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Postcards from the Edge of Space and Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [venifican](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=venifican).



> This fanfic was originally published in 2006 for a minor characters ficathon and is based on the first new season of Doctor Who. The original recipient was LJ user venifican.

**Message 1 of 3 --**

The post card was small, battered on the edges and stained in a manner that suggested generations of hands picking it up, reading it curiously andpassing it on. The picture on the front was of a woman wearing a floor-length, corsetted dress. She smiled and held a parasol at a jaunty angle. Beneath her was the date 1900 and the place name of Venice, Italy.

Jackie’s hand shook as she turned the card over. The entire upper right corner was covered in small purplish stamps that featured a plane surrounded by a map of the world. They were dated 1961.

There was her address, written in large round script, familiar from many school projects. Rose. Rose wrote it. The writing was faded, and a section was hidden behind what looked to be a food stain, pasta or wine. Jackie brought it over to the lamp, and tilted it back and forth until she could make it out.
    
    
    Mum,
    
    Third postcard.  Don’t know if it’ll make it.  The Doctor says these  
    stamps he had in a cupboard would work.  The couple we stayed  
    with here in Italy said they’d get someone in their family to mail  
    the postcard later on.
    
    Having a great time. Big party last night, although there was a little  
    trouble later -- --- we had to paddle all about Venice like mad.  We did  
    see  some interesting --- buildings and got to visit an old jail.
    
    Great people here, alth--gh the "visitors" were a bit -- -------. Lots  
    to tell you later. Be back in 10 seconds, probably before this gets there.
    
    Rose

But Rose hadn’t come back in 10 seconds. Those seconds had been three weeks ago. Mickey had stopped by a couple of times, but she’d given him the cold shoulder and the last time he’d just handed her his new flat address and left without speaking to her.

Jackie swore underneath her breath, still staring fixedly at the postcard. If Mickey had been a better boyfriend, Rose wouldn’t have gone, or at least Mickey could've gone with them. He would have been some protection, even if just to stand in front of Rose if anyone or anything shot at them.

Jackie read the message again. “Visited a jail?” She tapped the postcard lightly against her hand. “Probably from the inside.” She frowned. This postcard didn’t mean Rose was safe now. Rose had been safe in 1900, but would she be safe in 2500, or 100,000 or even yesterday if that yesterday was three galaxies away?

She put the card in her memory box of old birthday cards and certificates. Rose’s medals were in there, the ribbons crumpled after Jackie had rescued them from the bin when Rose had redecorated her room yet again after losing that job at the grocers.

“Out of sight you go now.”

Then she deliberately ignored it. Or tried to, anyway.

 **Message 2 of 3 --**

The hallway was dark as the two figures stumbled through, using the walls as a lead. They reached their destination and one started fumbling inside a purse for a key.

"Damn landlord can't even fix a light." The two bumped together gently and the purse dropped to the floor.

“Come on, Jackie. One night for old times' sake.” Jimmy wrapped his arms around her and leaned in for a long, involved kiss. His right arm reached out and gently sqeezed her bum. After a minute they came up for air.

"Hey! You said you were just gonna see me safe home." Jackie leaned into him, smelling the thick aroma of cigarettes and beer. She thought about her flat, all deserted and here she was, heading for another night alone in an empty bed. “Well... maybe. Gimme another reason.”

He pressed her against the door, cheerfully pressed a kiss against her ear and then started working his way back to her mouth. She giggled and turned her head... and saw an unearthly blue-white glow shoot out from underneath her door, and then hold steady. Something inside started to hum and Jimmy had nothing to do with it.

Jackie pushed against him unsteadily, and then propped herself up against the wall. Just her luck. One too many drinks at the pub and now the world was tilted at the wrong angle.

“You gotta go, Jimmy. Go home to your wife. She’ll appreciate it more than I will tonight.”

“Hey!” He leaned in for another kiss, and she stepped on his foot with her spike heels and pressed down hard. He whimpered and then started hopping on one foot.

“Oh! So sorry, Jimmy! Gotta go. Work inna morning, you know. Maybe next time?” With each word, she pushed him back down the hallway towards the stairs.

“You leave your lights on, Jackie? Rose come back from ‘er travels?”

“Just the telly. See you later, now.” She slammed the stairwell door closed, and then hurried back, picked up and dropped her keys twice and finally swung the door open so hard it bounced and she had to push it open again. “Rose? You there, Rose?”

There was a large, blue-filled globe the size of a football in the middle of her living room. As she entered it flared brighter, and then a transparent image of Rose took its place. She was wearing a long, white dress and there were flowers threaded into her hair. Thick gold chains wrapped her waist and bracelets piled high on her forearms.

The image adjusted one of the belts around her waist, and then looked off to one side. “You sure she’ll get this? It’s not going to go off in an empty flat is it?”

Silence for a moment.

“Oh. Well, start the recording then.”

Another silence.

“What? I wasn’t ready! Rewind, and start again.” Another pause. Rose’s face looked exasperated and she rolled her eyes to the heavens. “I hate leaving messages.”

With a sigh, she turned back to Jackie. “Mum? You there?” She turned back to the side. “Sure she’ll get this?” Another pause.

“Having a great time. They’re treating us like royalty here. I feel like a vestal virgin or something in this outfit. The Doctor says we’re actually here, in this time right now, so I can send this message by transmat. He says it’ll work, but he usually buggers things up, so I’m probably all pink or fuzzy or something.”

In actual fact, she was tinged blue from head to toe, and the image rippled and faded in spots as she talked and moved. Jackie stepped forward automatically, her hand reaching out and through the image. It crackled, disappeared for about ten seconds and then came back. Jackie stepped back, pressed her hands against her chest and concentrated on not moving.

Rose was laughing. “... and then we rode in this carriage." She paused. "I’m getting all mixed up here. I don't know if you know any of this.”

The image frowned, hands propped against hips, and bangles jangling. “Now, Mum, I know what I said about that ten seconds, but after travelling more with this git here, I don’t trust him to get within ten hours, so I’m going to send you some postcards when I can. Should be fun, and some might even get there. I still have my cell phone, but I’m never sure when I’m calling you. There was a couple of times I think I reached you before I left.”

A large hand reached into the image, and placed a crystal tiara on top of Rose’s head. “Jack! Get off!” Rose reached up and took off the tiara before tossing it at someone Jackie couldn’t see. “Oh. Not you, Mum. Have you met Jack yet? Did we come back before this right now?” She paused. “Sometimes this time travel messes you up. That was Captain Jack Harkness being his usual, his usual..." Her hands fluttered about describing something flying or twisting or coming apart. Then she rolled her eyes again. "Well. He's just being himself and wasting my time.”

Her head moved back to the corner, head tilting as she listened.

“Just a bit left, now. Message has to be sent while there’s a hole in a gas cloud or something. Love you!” The image of Rose smiled, blew a kiss and then stood there waving for another few seconds before fading away.

The large blue globe remained for another ten seconds before disappearing with only a slight pop.

Jackie shook her head, which was starting to ache far too soon for a hangover. “Am I dreaming?” She stepped forward until she was standing in the place Rose’s image had been moments before. There was nothing to hold this time, nothing to take out and handle.

Nothing there at all.

 **Message 3 of 3 --**

A week later, Jackie was still brushing her hair when the knock on the flat door sounded. Muttering under her breath, she threw it open.

There was a short, ancient looking gentleman standing there wearing an expensive looking black suit, holding a neat black hat in one hand and a small package in the other. Japanese by the look of him, although Jackie’d never been good at figuring those things out.

“Madame Tyler,” he said.

Jackie stopped brushing her hair and wondered if her robe was on properly. She tossed the brush aside, and tightened her belt -- hard.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

“Ah... Madame Tyler. I owe your daughter a debt which I hope to repay in some small part by giving this to you.” His enunciation was very careful and precise, although he still had problems with the 'L' in her last name.

He bowed slightly and pushed forward the package, urging her to take it. “She helped save my life when I was but a young boy. It was a very exciting time.”

Jackie reached out and took the package. The brown paper looked handmade and was wrapped carefully in some sort of brown rope. Her name and address were written on the front in Rose’s handwriting.

“Oh, um... Did you want to come in? Have some tea?” Her mind flew in a thousand directions as once. Tea. Dirty dishes. Very dirty living room. Was her robe really on properly or was she flashing him? How did Rose meet this man? When did Rose meet him? He looked as though a gentle wind could blow him away.

“No thank you, Madame Tyler.” He smiled faintly. “My great-grandson is waiting in a cab downstairs. He does not understand why I must do this, but one repays obligations.” His smile widened. “It was a most exciting time.”

Then he put on his hat, tilted it as a good-bye, and walked steadily if slowly down the hall. Jackie hadn’t even gotten his name.

A minute after the stairwell door closed, she stepped back inside and firmly closed the door.

The rope was cut with a kitchen knife after trying fruitlessly to pull it off or apart for some time. The aged paper gave less resistance, cracking and falling into three large pieces as she took it off. Inside was a carved wooden box, the wood dark and shiny. It took her a minute to find the latch on the thin box, but when she did it opened easily. Inside, there was an object wrapped in layer after layer of fine paper.

When she finally unwrapped it, she discovered a black and white photo of Rose standing in between two men. The man on her left, she recognized. The Doctor as he called himself. The man on her right she didn’t recognize. He looked like he belonged in an old black and white movie, all suave and debonair. The Doctor was wearing the same outfit she’d last seen him in, but Rose was wearing a dark men’s style trouser suit that looked straight out of the roaring twenties. The man on her right was wearing what looked to be a 1950s three-piece suit.

She turned the picture over. On the back, written in pencil. “The Doctor, Rose Tyler, Jack Harkness, 1918.” It wasn’t Rose’s handwriting this time, but another one, with harder edges. There wasn’t another letter in the box, or anything else although she sifted through the papers three times.

“Oh, Rose. I know you don’t like to write, but this is a bit much.”

Smiling, she set the picture on the kitchen table. She was tempted to put her coffee cup to cover the Doctor’s grinning face, but held herself back for the moment. It was a good picture of Rose. Whereever she was, right now,  
then she'd looked happy.

Maybe she’d even get it framed. Humming slightly, she headed back into the bathroom. If she didn’t hurry up, she’d be late for work. The work paid the rent, and she had to keep this flat. If she didn’t, how would Rose know where to find her when she came back from her travels?

And she would come back. Jackie was almost sure of it. Almost.


End file.
